Pastoral Mind Renewal

            After studying the pastorate for many years I have come to some conclusions I would like to share with you. The first of these is that it is true it takes a pastor about seven years of diligent ministry to get to really know his people. The second conclusion is that the various training sessions, workshops, and conventions a pastor might attend from time to time are beneficial in that they allow him to refocus his mind on the broader picture of ministry and gives him a break from concentrating on individuals.

            My third conclusion is also related to the fourth. The third conclusion is a pastor needs time to get away with his family for a couple of weeks out of every year so they can focus on each other, Familial relationships are central to ministerial success biblically speaking and my fourth conclusion is that a pastor who neglects family for church will ultimately wind up failing both.

            My fifth conclusion is that every pastor needs a three-month sabbatical from his church every seven years. It is his Jubilee year, and as land is allowed to lay untilled in the seventh year, a pastor should also cease from tilling for a season. It is a time for renewal, for God to work the work only He can do in the individual. Some churches may complain at their pastor being away so long, but they suffer far greater separations and loss over time by the frequent rotation of pastors through improper pastoral care.

            My sixth conclusion has to do with the pastor himself. It is a function he must perform daily if he is to be of any use to himself, to God, or to the church. The first past of this is that he is not to neglect prayer for duty. A pastor without a prayer life is like a soldier with a dirty weapon, apt to jam at any moment. The second part of this is that he is not to neglect Bible study for other duty, for in God’s word he finds the inspiration for inspiring others as the Spirit of God works in him.

            Finally, there is my seventh conclusion. A pastor is but a man insufficient for these things. He is made sufficient only by the calling of God, which makes him God’s gift to the church. If he is to be adequate to that calling, he must daily be renewing his mind like any other believer according to the principles found in Philippians 4. For our sufficiency is in the Lord Jesus Christ.